My Man Behind The Mask
by elmo-doodle
Summary: JD can't always be the superhero at work. Outside of the hospital, however, is a completely different story.
1. Chapter 1

**elmo-doodle:** You voted for it, so I shall bring it! This is just a teaser of what to expect when _My Man Behind The Mask _begins! Well, technically this _is _the first chapter, but I won't be uploading the next chapter until August, maybe September, as I want to be sure that I am far enough ahead in writing it so that I don't catch up with myself. I actually want to have this almost finished before I even start posting the rest, but hopefully that shouldn't take long. Never mind that, start reading!! =]

**WARNINGS: **For the prologue? I don't think so. Except, be prepared for AU-ness. Seriously =]

**DISCLAIMER: **I only own the plot.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE/PROLOGUE**

It was a cool, clear night in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and when you looked up at the sky you could see thousands of stars lining the heavens. It was surprisingly silent for a city night, but this didn't bother anyone-- especially not the figure sitting on the roof of an apartment building.

The figure of a man was crouched down on the ledge of the roof, observing the city before him. If he looked to his right, he could see the various apartments and shops of Valley Village, and to his left he had a clear view of the rooftop of Sacred Heart Hospital. The figure smirked when he saw that there was a tall man standing on top of Sacred Heart, mop in hand, and gazing up at the stars.

The man brought his attention back to the few people who were walking about at this late hour. If any of them were to look up were the figure was sitting, they would see a male dressed in absolute black, almost camouflaged against the night sky. Some of the civilians stopped for a minute and watched him- others merely shrugged and carried on.

The man wore a long-sleeved, black button-up shirt, and jet-black skinny jeans. On his feet were black, lose leather boots that were folded down at the top and almost reached his knees. A black cape flowed over his back, and it waved slightly in the cool breeze that skimmed across the rooftops, and underneath this cape, attached to his belt, was a curled up whip. Black, fitted gloves covered his hands.

It's hard to say if the man had intended to copy the look of Zorro, or if the outfit was just better suited for his purpose. A black mask which covered his eyes was the main article that hid his identity, as was the black hair which lay flat against his head, the fringe overlapping the top of the mask.

Some people argued that the man was just a Zorro copy-cat. But they were always shot down when others defended the man with the same three words. The man was more than just a super-hero wanna-be.

_He's a magician._

The man let out a small sigh and prepared to leave the rooftop, when it seemed that the night was going to be an uneventful one. But then he heard it.

A scream.

Several screams.

A small smile made its way on to his face and he let his extra-sensitive hearing pick up on the direction the noise was coming from. A mile to the north. The man backed off the ledge of the roof and backed up halfway across the roof. When he had reached a reasonable distance he took off running towards the ledge of the roof at a speed that track runners would be insanely jealous of. When he was about five feet away from the ledge, he leapt up on to it, crouching with one hand on the concrete before using the built-up momentum to push himself off the ledge.

His cape whipped out behind him, fluttering amongst the new rush of air, and allowing him to make it to the other building (just under a kilometre away) with the ease of a gliding bird. He landed on the ledge of the roof with a crouch to absorb the impact.

He took off running again, repeating the process of jumping, gliding and landing (and the occasional laugh of joy to be_ flying _again) until he could see where the source of the screaming was coming from.

There was a fire. Although it didn't look wild yet, the man knew just how quickly the fire could build up dangerously. He faintly heard the sound of sirens, form fire engines and ambulances, in the distance, but they were too far away, and the chances were that by the time they reached the house, the flames would have become too fierce.

As the man landed on the roof of the house next to the one on fire, he could see a family standing outside the front. A man had tears on his face as he restrained his wife, who was desperately trying to get back to the house.

"My baby!" she cried, her struggling useless against the one restraining her. "My_ baby _is in there!"

A little cliché, the man thought, but it took him less than a second to react. In one swift movement he had the whip unhooked from his belt and lashed it out towards a nearby tree. The end of the whip coiled around a branch, securing itself. The man leapt off the building and swung on the whip, aiming for a window on the first floor of the house. He heard the gasps of the two people on the ground as they saw him swinging towards the house and disappearing inside with the distinct sound of glass smashing.

Once inside the house, the man hurriedly reattached the whip to his belt.

While the flames had not entirely consumed the house, yet, they were unbearably hot and spreading fast. The man walked onwards, avoiding the parts of the floor which looked like they would collapse with too much pressure. He followed his ears again; the sound of a child's cries clear to him. It lead him to a closed door that was covered in heated flames. The man smirked at the door and held his hands up, less than a foot away from the flames. He focused all his energy in to his hands, and a small ball of what looked like blue glass appeared between them. The man pushed even more energy in to it, and the ball exploded out towards the flames, coating them with a sturdy layer of ice. Knowing that the ice wouldn't hold long against the fierce flames, the man quickly slammed against the door, successfully breaking it down and leading in to a child's nursery.

There, in the centre of the room, was a crib, where a toddler girl stood, crying and clutching the bars of her bed in fear. The room was quickly becoming smoky but it had been untouched by the flames so far, excluding the door.

The man rushed towards the small girl, probably just two-years-old, who stopped crying when she saw him.

"It's okay, sweetheart," the man said in a low, soothing voice. The girl reached up and the man obediently scooped her in to his arms. "I'm gonna get you out of here." He made sure he had a firm grip on the little girl before he moved towards the door-sized windows in the room, which led out to a small balcony.

The man used his cloak to cover the girl, protect her, as he once again unhooked his whip and lashed out at the window. It instantly shattered, the glass falling like a thousand diamonds to the floor. He stepped out on to the balcony and used the whip to once again latch itself on to the branch of the tree. He stood on the ledge of the balcony and, after again checking the girl was secure, he stepped off, swinging gracefully to the ground, and landing safely.

As soon as the parents of the child saw him land, they ran over to him, tears staining both their faces. The man moved his cape to reveal the little girl resting against his chest.

The woman sobbed in relief as the man handed her daughter over, and the father wrapped them both in a tight hug. The women opened her eyes and looked at the man.

"Sir, I--" was all she could choke out.

The man smiled and held up his hands. "I still have one more thing to do," he said in the same, low voice. He took off towards the house again, this time jumping in through a window on the ground floor. He was inside for less than a minute when he emerged again, a wriggling puppy in his arms.

The woman laughed when she saw the bundle of life being passed to her husband, who took it gratefully from the man.

"It would have been unfair to leave a member of the family inside," the man said, patting the puppy on the head and then gently ruffling the little girl's hair.

"We cannot thank you enough, sir," the husband said, tears in his eyes as he gazed gratefully at the man. "I know that you never accept rewards, but if there's anything we can do in return...?"

The man shook his head, smiling. "Knowing that your family is alive is more than enough," he said. The sound of the ambulance and fire engine came closer. "Help is almost here," he said, accepting the offered hand that the husband held out. He shook it firmly and put his other hand on the shoulder of the woman. "I hope you will be able to rebuild your lives."

The woman smiled at him. "Thanks to you, we can."

The man grinned at her. He nodded at the husband, and then turned around to start running again. He leapt up on to the branch of the tree and propelled himself towards the roof of a nearby building. As he swept away from the scene, the husband and the woman got a clear view of the lettering on the back of his cape.

_MK._

* *

A persistent beeping to the left of JD's head woke him up from the wonderful dream that he was having. The resident doctor groaned as he rolled over and whacked the top of the alarm clock with the palm of his hand. JD sighed as he pushed himself in to a sitting position and stretched his arms. He made an appreciative noise when he felt he back pop, releasing the tension that had built up there during the night. JD ran a hand through his flat hair and opened his eyes. He grinned.

He had been too tired to properly put his clothes away last night, so they hung on a hanger on the door of his closet. Black trousers were draped underneath a black shirt, with a cape messily hanging over them. Black boots were lying carelessly at the foot of the bed along with a pair of gloves. A mask lay discarded on the bedside table.

_Okay_, JD thought, the grin never leaving his face, _last night _wasn't _a dream.

* * *

_**elmo-doodle: **And thus ends the first chapter. Hope it wasn't too stange for you, but believe me, it could get a whole lot worse than that, lol. Thankfully, it won't. Please review! It'll let me know if anyone is still out there ;] Hope you all will wait for me to properly start this story!!


	2. Chapter 2

**:** I have returned!! Well, not really but I decided that I had made you wait long enough before posting this chapter. Sorry about that, by the way! This summer has just been super crazy-- not to mention that I'm leaving for university in TWO DAYS!!! So the next update might not be for a few weeks since I need to get settled in accomodation and classes etc. Okay, enough of my blabbering!

**DISLCAIMER:** *in italian accent* I own nothing!

**CHAPTER TWO**

"_Mommy! Mommy, come look at what I can do!"_

_Barbara Dorian walked in to the kitchen, a look of bemusement on her face as she saw her five-year-old son, standing on top of a chair which he had dragged over to the sink. "What is it, Johnny?"_

"_Look!" JD exclaimed excitedly, beaming. "Look at what I can do!" Reaching over, JD turned the tap on and cupped his hands underneath the flow of the water. He let his hands fill up with the liquid and moved his hands out of the sink, somehow not spilling a single drop. He frowned, like he was concentrating very hard, and then after a moment, he pulled his hands apart._

_The water, which had previously been in his hands, was now floating in the air, a few feet above the kitchen floor. JD giggled in delight and looked up at his mom for approval. His smile faltered when he saw her expression._

_She was tense._

"_Johnny..." she began, gently so as not to alarm him. "How did you learn to do that?"_

"_I taught myself," JD said. He began to look downcast because his mom didn't like his trick. "Was that wrong?"_

"_No... no, sweetheart," Barbara said, walking towards him. It sounded more like she was trying to reassure herself. "It's just... I don't think you should be playing about with this... it's dangerous."_

_JD frowned, a pout beginning to make its way to his lips. "But daddy said that I was special because I could do these things," he said, confused. "Did he not mean that?"_

"_Oh, he did, dear," Barbara said. She cupped his small face with her hands. "You are special-- _very _special, because you can do strange, and... and wonderful things that the other kids can't. But, baby, you have to understand that this isn't something to be playing about with. You don't want to do something that could accidentally hurt yourself or somebody else." JD shook his head. "I think... I think that you shouldn't experiment with these... powers... until we can find you some proper help."_

"'_Help?'" JD questioned. "Am I sick?"_

"_No, love. But, what you can do isn't natural for other people. We need to find someone who can teach you how to control it. So, until then, no more messing around with it, okay?"_

_JD was sad, but he nodded anyway. "Okay, mom," he mumbled. Barbara leaned in and kissed his cheek, making JD squirm and giggle. Then, concentrating again, JD made the floating ball of water levitate back in to the sink, where it ran down the drain._

**

"Morning, Turk," JD said, entering the living room after he had dressed in his scrubs and gelled up his hair appropriately.

"Morning, buddy," Turk replied. He was sitting on the couch, watching the TV with a bowl of Lucky Charms in his hands. "I see you made it on to the news again."

JD sat next to Turk on the couch after getting his own bowl of Lucky Charms. "That's strange," he mumbled, watching the images on the screen, "I didn't see any cameras there last night."

"Nah, this is after they got the fire out."

"Oh."

They watched in silence as the spokeswoman on TV recounted the events that had taken place last night, interviewed bystanders, and eventually the victims themselves. JD smiled to see them unharmed, if not a little shaken. The husband told the news reporter how the Masked Knight had bravely entered the burning house and saved their daughter, and then went back inside to rescue...

"A puppy?!" Turk exclaimed in alarm. "JD, you went back inside a burning house to get a _dog_?"

"Come on, Turk," JD said, defensively. "You know how much I like animals. How could I leave a helpless little puppy to burn?"

"Still, dude," Turk said, giving JD a look that said he was crazy, "that was a little bit risky... apparently the house collapsed not long after you got out."

"I know," JD said. "I wouldn't have gone back in if I wasn't sure that I would get out again... even then..."

"Sometimes, I don't understand you, JD," Turk sighed. "Anyway- congratulations on another amazing rescue! Did you remember to put your outfit away?"

"Yeah, I did it when I woke up," JD replied. "And I packed it away in one of the boxes. I don't want to risk Carla almost seeing it again..."

"What don't you want me to see, Bambi?"

Both men jumped as Carla suddenly appeared behind them. They turned around to see the Latina woman dressed in her purple scrubs and wearing an expression with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh... it's nothing, Carla," JD said.

"Yeah, we were just talking about man-stuff," Turk added.

"Manly man-stuff," JD said, nodding.

Carla rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath in Spanish. "You boys almost ready to go?"

"Sure, baby," Turk said, getting up off the couch and turning the TV off. JD followed suit and took his now empty bowl to the kitchen to wash it.

_My life is so strange, _JD thought as he let the soapy water wash over his hands. _Resident doctor by day... puppy-saving magician by night. _He chuckled to himself as he dried the bowl off.

* *

"Well, Mr Wilde, your temperature is going down and the infection has almost left your system, so we'll be able to discharge you in a couple of days," JD said, hanging the chart on the end of the bed. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Mr Wilde shrugged. "Some good food would be nice," he said.

JD grinned. "I'll see what I can do," he said, turning and leaving the room. "Hey, Carla!" he called, walking towards the nurses' station. "Have you seen Turk? I wanna make sure he's still free to help me move out tonight."

"He's in surgery, Bambi," Carla said, shuffling a few files on her desk. "But he'll be out at lunch."

"It's so awesome that Turk is getting to do all these amazing surgeries lately," Elliot said, smiling. "The new attending down there must really like him." Carla grumbled. "What?"

"Elliot, the new attending surgeon is a woman," JD said.

"So?"

"So," JD explained, "Carla is a little testy because said attending is giving Turk a lot of attention and the majority of important surgeries. Carla just feels like she should be the one giving Turk all the good stuff."

"Oh, I get it!" Elliot said. "Carla-- you're jealous!"

"No, I'm not," Carla said, shrugging.

"Carla, you're so jealous," JD agreed.

"So what if I am?" Carla snapped. "Turk spends all day down in that surgery with the hot attending that may or may not have a thing for my man? I think I'm entitled to feel a little insecure." Carla slammed one of the files on to the counter.

"Carla, relax," JD said, frowning. "Turk's got eyes for you and you only."

"Yeah," Elliot agreed, smiling. "You can just tell that he loves you so much from the way that he looks at you... I wish I had someone how would look at me like that..."

A sharp whistle interrupted their conversation. "Newbie! Heel!"

"Gotta go," JD said, spinning around and following after his mentor. "What's up, Doctor Cox?"

Perry laughed as if JD had just told a joke. "Gee, I don't know, Carol. It could be that I'm letting you tag along in the hope that you leave your gal pals alone for just long enough to _actually _get some work done. Or, I don't know, it could be that I just _love _having you follow me around all day like the insufferable little puppy that you are. What do you think?"

"It's probably the work thing," JD admitted.

"Good girl," Perry said. He stopped walking and spun around. "Inside that room is a very sick, very frail old man, who may or may not have some form of cancer. I want you, Betty, to take the blood sample from that lovely young nurse in there and take down to radiology for the idiots to analyse."

"Why can't you do it?" JD asked.

"Because," Perry said slowly, "I'm a very busy doctor. Something that you might become, someday. In the future. The very, very far future."

"Here's the blood sample, Doctor Dorian," the nurse said, passing the labelled tube to him. "Did you see the news this morning?" she continued. "The Masked Knight saved a little girl from a burning house. He really is a hero." She smiled at the two doctors and moved past them.

"He _is _a hero," JD said, also smiling. Perry reached over and flicked his ear. "Ow!" JD exclaimed. "What was that for?!"

"For fantasizing about that flying bastard?" Perry growled before walking away.

"Why do you hate him so much anyway?" JD asked before he could stop himself and he once again followed Perry. "I thought that saving people's lives was a good thing in your books."

"Newbie, that man is the only thing I hear about when the she-devil comes round to my place to drop off our son," Perry said. "Yes, it's good to save people's lives, but that masked sissy creates such drama over it that, to be honest, it makes me sick. I despise that man, and everything about him. I actually loathe him so much that it rivals with my deep dislike for you."

_This is so ironic, it's almost funny, _JD thought. "Well, I think he's a good guy..."

"Newbie! I don't care. Now get that blood sample to radiology." Perry scowled at him and started walking. This time, JD didn't follow. He took the blood down to Franklin to analyse, and he was going to go back up to the nurses' station to see if anyone wanted to get lunch, when...

_CRASH._

"Haha! That was a good one."

"_Janitor_," JD mumbled, thinking how that could also be a curse word.

"The floor's wet, genius," the Janitor said, standing above JD with his hands in his pocket. "There was a sign."

"What are you talking about?!" JD exclaimed, making no move to get up. "There was no sign!"

"There wasn't?" The Janitor frowned. He disappeared from JD's vision for a moment before returning again, sign in hand. He set it up across JD's stomach. "There is now," he shrugged and walked off.

JD cursed as he pushed the sign off himself and stood up.

_If the Janitor knew that I was _letting_ him mess with me, I have a feeling that he wouldn't be too happy. You see, at work and in front of my friends, I have to do a little bit of acting: the JD they know is vulnerable and clumsy, which is the complete opposite of what the Masked Knight is. The thing is, I can't magically turn my superpowers on and off. Controlling fire and water, easy-- turning off my awareness of people around me? Impossible. Along with the supernatural hearing, I have an acute sense that allows me to tell when someone is near. Each person gives off a different aura, and the people I'm familiar with have the strongest auras. People like Turk, Carla, Elliot, Doctor Cox and the Janitor. So, to fit the personality of being clumsy, I have to jump when people sneak up on me even though I knew that they were there, and I have to act like I'm unaware of when the Janitor is lurking around the corner, just waiting for me to fall in to his traps._

_Actually, the wet floor did catch me out. There was no sign. But I could still tell that the Janitor was hiding in one of the nearby rooms. I subject myself to his torture to keep up appearances. Even though I could totally kick his ass._

"Hey, Elliot!" JD said, as he saw his friend filling something out on the counter. "Wanna grab some lunch?"

"Sure! Just let me finish this prescription and then we can go."

"Awesome."

* *

"Okay, buddy, that's the last box."

JD sighed and stretched. There hadn't been that many boxes to move but with JD and Turk messing around, it had taken quite a while to shift the boxes from the apartment to the small house that JD was now living in. It was a two-bedroom with ensuit bathroom, kitchen and living room. There was also a back garden which had plenty of trees in it. All in all, JD was happy with it. He had gotten it for a really good price too, as the person who used to live in it wasn't looking for that much money for it. Plus, JD had been saving up for a house for ten years now.

"Awesome," JD said, looking around the living room where the boxes were. He had already purchased some furniture, including a bed, so that he would have it before he moved in. "I think there's some food in the fridge. Hungry?"

"Famished," Turk said. "Whatchya got?"

"Pizza," JD said, walking in to his kitchen and opening the fridge. "Large pepperoni."

"Sweet," Turk said, watching as JD turned the oven on and set the pizza on a tray. "Dude, this is a really nice house."

"Isn't it? I think it's perfect," JD said. "It's not too small, not too big, and it has great tree-cover, so, y'know, I can sneak out and patrol the city without any nosy neighbours seeing me. It's been tricky jumping out of my bedroom window in the apartment block. People could have seen me."

"Yeah, but Carla hears _everything _when she's asleep," Turk pointed out. "If you had tried to leave through the front door, you would have been caught long ago, my friend."

"I know, I know," JD said, sliding the pizza in to the oven. "Still, this way I can leave at any time during the night without being detected. It's fool-proof. Do you want a beer?"

"Sure," Turk said. "So, are you going out on patrol tonight?"

JD shrugged as he got two beers from the fridge. "I don't know yet. If something's wrong, I'll pick up on it when I'm asleep. Then again, I'm working the late-night shift tomorrow, so I could go out tonight, sleep during the day tomorrow and do a mini-patrol before work."

Turk shook his head. "I don't know where you get the energy from," Turk said.

They chatted some more and ate the pizza when it was cooked. Turk left soon afterwards, and then JD did a bit of tidying before putting on his costume. Then, he exited the house through the back door and took off running through the trees and in to the night.

* *

JD slept through the next day, just as he had said he would, and when night came around, he managed to have a quick dinner before he started his brief patrol of that night.

He was standing on a rooftop again, just casually watching the busy evening traffic as it slowly wound through the streets. JD had a strange liking for rooftops. Maybe it was because he could see for miles around, or maybe it was the because of the thrill that he got from being so high up. He started to wander across the rooftops, slowly making his way over to Sacred Heart. The night was proving to be a calm one, for which JD was glad. When it appeared that no trouble was brewing in the streets, JD skilfully sneaked over to the hospital and watched the window that was the locker room. His eyesight and his awareness told him that there was nobody inside, so he quickly ran across the car park and leaped up to the window ledge. He climbed in through the open window (thanks to Turk) and hurriedly made his way over to his locker. He entered the combination and opened it.

Inside his locker, JD had a secret compartment that even the Janitor hadn't discovered. It was a box that he had attached to the roof of his locker when he had first come to Sacred Heart. The box had a sliding bottom, so JD could hide his outfit up there whenever he had to come in for a shift at the hospital, or if he had to quickly change in to the Masked Knight during a shift.

Once JD had changed in to his scrubs and clocked in for his shift, he went to the nurses' station to pick up his charts.

"Evening, Doctor Dorian," one of the nurses greeted, handing him a handful of files. "I hope you're ready for a busy shift."

"You betcha," JD grinned. "What have we got tonight?"

"You've got four new admits," the nurse told him, " and one of the doctors in the clinic isn't in tonight, so they're a little short staffed and might page you a few times for help. Doctor Cox isn't in tonight, so you're the one they and the interns will be going to with questions."

"Brilliant," JD deadpanned. "Well, I better get started." The nurse smiled at him before he walked away. He checked his charts and walked in to his first patient's room.

"Hello, Mrs O'Hara, my name is Doctor Dorian and I will be taking care of you."

**

While JD was working away inside the hospital, outside there were four men wearing balaclavas.

"When do we move in?" one man asked.

A second man answered, "Not for another few hours, I think. We need to make sure that there won't be many witnesses around."

"That means waiting until the pharmacy is almost empty," the first man said, astounded. "The drugs need to be shipped away in the morning. We don't have much time to waste. Not to mention we have to plant the drugs in the mutt before that."

"Relax," a third man said. He was leaning casually against a wall, and watching the people and doctors coming and going from the hospital's pharmacy. "We have plenty of time. You can't rush these things, and this needs to be done perfectly. We don't want to alert the attention of the Knight and jeopardize our trade."

**

It was a few hours later before JD had something that was even close to a break. There wasn't enough time to take a proper brake, what with the clinic paging him every half hour, and the interns asking him the simplest of questions.

Actually, JD's almost-break involved going down to the pharmacy with Turk, so that he could pick up a prescription for an intern who just couldn't grasp the concept of what drug he had to get for his patient.

"I'm telling you, Turk," JD said as they walked down the corridor, "these interns are driving me insane. They can't perform the simplest of procedures, and they don't know how to ask for drugs at the pharmacy. I'm worried about leaving them on their own for more than five minutes."

"I know what you mean," Turk said, swinging his arm around JD's shoulders. "Doctor Win was telling me that the new intern surgeons are the most cocky, arrogant children that he's ever had to deal with. I mean, I know I'm cocky, but I'm nowhere near as bad as them."

They rounded the corner and JD was pleased to see that there wasn't a queue at the pharmacy window. He approached the counter and knocked it three times. "Helloo," he called, sensing that Carla was hiding behind there somewhere. "Anybody there?"

Carla appeared on the other side of the counter, eyebrows raised. "That's no way to call for a nurse," she said, but she held out her hand and took the prescription that JD had written. "Another intern mistake?"

"Yeah," JD said, sighing. "I thought it would be safer if I came down and sorted it out. This way, nobody dies."

Carla disappeared again for a while to get the right type of drugs. During that time, JD felt that there was something amiss outside the hospital. He frowned.

"What is it, buddy?" Turk asked, noticing the change in his friend's expression.

"Something's wrong," JD said. He had that horribly strong feeling that they were being watched, but he didn't turn around-- that would let them know that he had sensed them, and their actions could be unpredictable.

Carla came back to the counter the moment that it happened. Four men, dressed in black with their faces hidden, entered the pharmacy and supporting guns.

"Nobody move!" one of the men shouted. He and another man were pointing guns at the patients or the nurses who were in the room.

Another man approached the pharmacy desk and held the gun up in to Carla's face. Turk shifted slightly but he caught JD's eye and saw his friend shake his head.

The man threw a bag at Carla. "Fill it with whatever drugs are back there," the man ordered. "Do it. **Now**."

Carla looked to JD with scared eyes. JD nodded and, swallowing nervously, Carla took the bag and hurried to fill it, which didn't take long. When she placed it back on the counter. The man took it and, still holding their guns up, the four men backed out of pharmacy and bolted out of the hospital.

Nurses began to run about everywhere, going to contact Kelso, or security, or ringing up the police.

Turk approached JD and whispered, "I'll cover for you" before going to comfort Carla. JD nodded and ran upstairs to his locker. It took him no time at all to change in to his Masked Knight outfit. He also slid his second mobile phone in to his pocket, which he used for contacting the Chief of the Police Department. When JD was ready, he leaped out the locker room window, and followed the sounds and the auras of the four thugs as they made their getaway in what JD assumed was a stolen car.

JD chased the thugs for about ten minutes, running almost as fast as the car was speeding. The car suddenly made a sharp left turn, and JD slowed down when he saw the car approaching a worn down warehouse. He hid behind in a tree and watched as the four men exited the car and ran the short distance in to the building. JD flipped out his phone and dialled.

He didn't need to wait long. "Hello?"

"Chief," JD spoke in a low, deep voice, one that he used only for when he was the Masked Knight. "There was a burglary at Sacred Heart hospital. Four men demanded drugs and they've driven themselves out to an abandoned building about five miles away. I think it's the old stocking warehouse."

"Right," the Chief said. "We'll be over there as soon as possible. Do what you can to disarm them and make sure they don't leave the building."

"You got it," JD said, shutting off the phone. He watched the building for a moment more before jumping down from the tree. He landed in a crouch and then took off running towards the warehouse. It was pretty big, a two story building with a wide base. JD could see the front entrance, the one that the men had entered it through. JD couldn't enter through that one without being detected, so he began to circle the building, looking for another way in.

When he couldn't find one, JD sighed and crossed his arms. "There should be another entrance," he whispered. He crouched down to the ground and looked for any sort of grill or vent that he could get through. After a moment, there was a shuffling to his right, and JD spun around to look for the source of the noise.

A short whining brought his attention to the ground. JD relaxed and smiled. "Hello there," he mumbled, holding his hand out. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

A little puppy, a Bernese Mountain dog, if JD was correct, scampered over to him and sniffed JD's gloved hand. The puppy whimpered and nuzzled JD's hand, making him chuckle.

"You look pretty young," JD remarked. The dog mustn't have been older than a few months but it looked in an okay condition. "I don't suppose you know another way in to this building?"

To his surprise, the puppy cocked his head and regarded JD for a few seconds before bounding away. He turned to look back after a few steps, and then softly barked before walking away again. JD frowned but followed the dog.

The puppy led him to the far side of the building and approached a mattress that was propped up against the wall. The puppy wriggled underneath the mattress and then looked back and JD. JD easily moved the mattress out of the way and saw behind it a sort of blown-out hole in the wall. The puppy pawed at the ground before the hole and then looked at JD again.

JD crouched down and listened carefully. There was the sound of voices travelling through the hole in the wall.

"Good boy," JD whispered and he petted the puppy's head, before crawling through the hole and entering the dank and dusty warehouse. He followed the voices deeper in to the building and as he got closer, their conversation became clearer.

"...haven't got much time. Where's the drug mule?"

"The Bernese got away."

"It got away?!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me, it was _his _fault."

"I don't care whose fault it was. Now we have to figure out a way to get these drugs smuggled out of the state!"

JD frowned. They were going to use the puppy to transport drugs? He shuddered. That was horrible! JD paused before the archway that would take him in to the same room as the four men. He took a deep breath and readied himself.

Showtime.

**

"Good evening, gentlemen," the Knight said as he walked casually but slowly in to the room.

"Stay right where you are, if you know what's good for you," the first thug said, pointing a gun in the Knight's direction.

The Knight sighed. "You see, that's where I have a problem," he said, putting his hands in his pockets, still walking about. "I don't know what's good for me. I don't know when I should stop. Should I continue? Should I give up? Should I just not even bother? These are the questions that I should ask myself every time I put on this mask, but you know what?"

The second thug shifted nervously. "What?" he asked.

The Knight smirked. "You really shouldn't have let me walk about the room like this because it just allowed me to search for and locate the trapdoor where you keep the drugs. Also, the way you four are all standing around it sort of gave it away." He paused and grinned. "Aren't I brilliant?"

The fourth thug, the bulkiest of them, snarled and lunged for the Knight, who easily side-stepped him and hit him in the back. This provoked the second and third thugs who also decided to bring their fists in to the fight. The Knight deftly avoided them, bringing the second thug down first with a single punch. The third thug was just as easy to deal with, who got a punch and was thrown against the wall.

Thug number four, however, was going to take a little bit more. He and the Knight circled each other, and the Knight realised that it would look more impressive with swords. Instead, he grabbed the handle of his whip and unfurled it with one quick lash. The thug become more wary of the weapon and the Knight could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to come up with a battle tactic. The thug must have decided on straight out tackling, since that was what he did. The Knight threw the whip upwards and let it curl around one of the beams in the roof. He swung out of the way. The thug spun around just in time to see the Knight swinging back towards him, legs straightened out. They collided with his chest, sending him flying backwards. The Knight let go of the whip and somersaulted to the floor, rolling once and bringing his fist up to meet the thug's crotch with enormous strength. The thug groaned in pain and the Knight delivered another two punches, one in the stomach and the second one to the face. The thug groaned once more and collapsed to the ground.

A shuffling behind the Knight alerted him to the first thug moving around. He turned and suddenly found himself on the floor, as the first thug hit him in the face with his gun.

"Ouch," the Knight said, reaching up a hand to rub his cheek. The sound of the safety being released brought the Knight back to the current situation.

"So long, SuperMoron," he said, his finger nearing the trigger.

There was a sudden growling at the thug's feet as something began to tug on his trouser leg, resulting in the sound of something tearing. The thug let his attention waver and the Knight used the distraction to knock the gun out of his hand. He brought his feet up to push the thug off of him. The thug rolled backwards and the Knight pushed himself up and flipped backwards to stand on his feet. The thug yelled and ran at him. The Knight sighed, rolled his eyes and held out his arm.

The thug ran right in to his arm, knocking himself backwards and falling to the floor on his back.

"See ya, SuperIdiot," the Knight said, knocking the thug out with one blow to the face. The Knight straightened up and collected his whip, rolling it up and attaching it to his belt again. A series of growls and barks made him turn around.

The puppy from earlier was hopping about on the spot with a piece of trouser material in his mouth. JD laughed and crouched down.

"You're definitely a weird one," JD said, and the dog trotted forwards and sat down in front of him, holding his head and his prize up high. "I totally had it under control, though. Still, what you did was really brave." He reached out and took the piece of cloth from the dog's mouth. The puppy obediently released his hold on it. "Hmm," JD said as he studied the material. "This is pretty strong cloth-- it must have taken a lot of strength to tear it off." The puppy cocked his head to the side, also looking at the material. "You did good, pup."

The puppy barked at the praise and wagged his tail. JD patted him on the head and straightened up. "I'm guessing you probably don't have a home," he said. The puppy whined and looked up at him. "I suppose I could take you back with me... oh, they're here."

JD, once again in superhero mode, went out to greet the police.

"Good evening, officer," the Knight said as he walked up to the chief. "I think you'll find your criminals, all four of them, inside that building and highly unconscious."

"And the drugs?" the chief asked.

"In a trap door underneath the flooring."

"Good job, son," the chief said, gripping the Knight's shoulder. "We can always count on you." He looked down. "What's with the runt?"

The puppy growled at the chief, obviously offended at the name.

"He led me to another entrance in to the building," the Knight replied, smiling at the dog. "Actually, he was pretty brave. I'm going to take him home with me."

The chief nodded. "Until next time?"

The Knight tutted. "You stole my line," he said, grinning as the chief smirked. "Come on, pup. Let's get you home."

The puppy barked and bounded around the Knight as the man tried to pick him up. "We're going to have to teach you some manners," the Knight muttered when he successfully scooped the animal in to his arms. He nodded at the chief and then took off running and then jumping on to a roof, and disappeared in to the night.

* * *

**:** sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes there. I probably got lazy, lol. Please leave me a review! It lets me know that you're still there!


	3. Chapter 3

**elmo-doodle:** Didn't leave you waiting for too long this time, did I? =) I'm finally settled down enough to start updating again, but the updates will be spontaneous-- don't think I could manage to keep to an update scheduele this year, too much to focus on at the one time . Anyway, enjoy chapter three! I made it for you!

**DISLCAIMER:** hahahahahah *starts coughing* esh, flu. Anyway, Scrubs isn't mine =[ The puppy is, though! =]

**Chapter Three**

The next morning, JD woke up to the sound of barking in his apartment. He frowned as he pushed himself out of bed. He pulled a hoodie on so that he wasn't top naked and made sure his pyjama bottoms weren't falling off him as he walked out in to the living room. What he saw there almost made him laugh.

Turk was there, standing against the front door, looking down in confusion as the puppy barked, growled and pulled at his trouser leg.

JD whistled to catch the puppy's attention. "Here, boy!" he called, and the puppy confusedly scampered over to JD. "It's okay," he said to the animal. "He's a friend." The puppy looked between his new master and the person who just walked in. He went back over to Turk, sniffed his leg for a moment and then began to bark and gallop playfully about the man's feet.

"Dude," Turk said, giving JD the biggest look of confusion he had ever seen. "When did you get a dog?"

"Last night," JD said, walking in to his kitchen. "I saw him outside the building where those thugs from the hospital were hiding. I overheard one of the men saying that he was going to be used as a drug-mule, and the pup did help me by distracting one of the idiots who was going to shoot me."

"So you brought him home with you?"

"I checked him over last night," JD continued as he went about making some coffee. "There's no trace of the thugs putting anything toxic in to him, and he doesn't have a microchip. Plus, he's very intelligent."

The puppy barked as if to prove his point.

Turk looked thoughtful and then shrugged. "Okay, fair enough. Have you named him yet?"

"Turk, I haven't even had him for 24hours and you expect me to have given him a name?"

"I was just saying, dude," Turk said. "You'll want to give him a name soon or else he'll think his name is 'boy' or 'pup'."

"Good point," JD said, turning around and leaning against the counter. He looked down at the puppy who looked back up at him. "I'll need to name him something original, and something that fits his personality."

"Well, we both know that Rowdy is out of the question."

"Totally," JD agreed. "I dunno. There's no name that I can think of that suits him."

"Well," Turk said, thoughtfully, "what did he do last night that caught your attention?"

"Lots of things," JD said, thinking back to the previous night. "He showed me how to get in to the thug's hide-out without being detected... and when I was lying on the floor, he just seemed to swoop in like an eagle and attack the thug's trouser leg without us noticing..."

Turk clicked his fingers. "How about that?"

"What?" JD asked, frowning.

"Eagle," Turk said. JD looked thoughtful before nodding. Even the puppy tilted his head to the side. "It's original," Turk continued, "and it commemorates the moment he 'swooped' in and saved you."

"Yeah, I like it," JD said, grinning. "What about you, pup?" he said, crouching down and looking at the puppy. "You like the name, Eagle?" The puppy barked and bounded towards JD. "Alright, that's that settled," he said as the puppy, Eagle, licked his hand. "Eagle it is."

Eagle barked.

**

Three days later, JD was convinced that Eagle wasn't an ordinary dog. He was very intelligent for a puppy, and he also seemed to be very empathic towards JD's moods. He got Eagle a red collar and leash, but soon found that he didn't need the latter. Eagle wasn't too keen about straying far from JD's side. So, it was on JD's next day off work that he took Eagle to the park.

"Fetch!" JD said as he threw the ball across the park. Eagle barked happily and bounded after it, tumbling over the ball when he didn't stop in time. JD had to laugh as Eagle struggled getting the tennis ball into his mouth, gave up, and settled for nudging the ball back towards his master.

"Don't worry," JD said when Eagle was back in front of him. "You'll get it someday."

"Well, well, well, Newbie, isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

JD yelped in surprise at the voice behind him. _Why is he the only one who I can't sense with my awareness? _JD asked himself, not for the first time. He spun around to face his mentor standing behind him, dressed in casual clothes. "Doctor Cox!"

"Fantastic diagnosis there, GI Jane, although I gotta say-- I'm surprised you have even half a social life outside of Sacred Hell," Perry said. "I thought you were working today," he added.

"What, so now you know my schedule?" JD asked, at which Perry rolled his eyes. "Elliot and I swapped shifts, so I thought I'd take my dog to the park."

Perry quirked an eyebrow. "Dog?"

"Yeah, I adopted him after he followed me home one night," JD lied, and Eagle came out from behind his owner to gaze up at Perry with big, puppy-dog eyes.

"So, you finally gave up on finding that guy who was _just so right for you_, and you settled for spending the rest of your life looking after some animal?" Perry asked. "I was right-- you really have no social life at all."

JD was about to reply when Eagle suddenly started to growl at Perry. He looked down at the puppy in surprise, as did Perry. Eagle was jumping backwards and forwards, growling and barking at the older man. It was obviously meant to be frightening, but JD thought it was cute.

Perry found it amusing. "That's a feisty one, there," Perry admitted, surprised that a little puppy would challenge him. "Can I growl back?"

"What are you doing here?" JD snapped in defence of Eagle.

Perry raised his eyebrows as a voice behind him said, "Daddy! Can I go play on the swings?"

Jack Sullivan came running up to Perry, stopping at his side. "Hiya, Aunt Carol!" Jack chirped when he saw JD. He then looked at Eagle, who had stopped growling. "A puppy!"

"Don't touch that thing, Jack," Perry warned as Jack made a move to pet Eagle. "It's feral." But Eagle barked playfully and bounded towards Jack who giggled as the puppy rolled on to its stomach to be petted.

"Does he fetch?" Jack asked JD, spying the tennis ball nearby.

"Yeah, but he can't carry the ball back," JD said, bending down to Jack's height. "You wanna play with him?"

"Really?" Jack asking, gasping. "Daddy, can I play with..."

"Eagle."

"Can I play with Eagle? Pleeeease?" Jack begged, pouting at Perry.

He tried to resist, but Perry Cox could never deny his son anything. "Fine," he said, sighing. "You can play with the dog, but not for long." Jack cheered and went over to an empty area of the grass, beckoning Eagle over with him. The puppy bounded after Jack and obediently chased after the tennis ball when it was thrown.

"What breed of dog is that?" Perry asked, wanting to say anything to fill the silence.

"He's a Bernese Mountain Dog," JD replied. "I found him abandoned just a few days ago. The vet says he's only about four months."

Perry frowned. "You've only had him a few days, and he's not even on a lead?"

JD shrugged. "Why should he be? He hasn't strayed from my side once and he's pretty intelligent for a dog." The two men watched as Jack bent down and attempted to lift Eagle up, resulting in them both tumbling backwards. "So," JD began, trying to make conversation between them. "Do you have Jack all weekend or just for today?"

"Just today," Perry grunted in reply. "The she-devil is taking him to his grandmother's for the weekend. They're going to be staying there for a while."

JD frowned a little. "You haven't been seeing him much lately, have you?"

Perry sighed. "No. Jordan doesn't bring him by often. Don't know if she's doing it on purpose or not." He stopped there, obviously not wanting to go in any further.

JD felt sorry for Perry. Jack was a great kid, and Perry wasn't seeing him much lately-- Jordan wasn't always prepared to make the journey from her mother's house to Perry's on a weekly basis, so the trips had been narrowed down to once a fortnight, and JD could tell that they were about to get less frequent.

JD decided that he should make an excuse for himself and Eagle to go, so that Perry could spend some time alone with his son. He whistled, and Eagle looked up at JD. "C'mere, Eagle!" JD called out, and the puppy obediently bounded over to him, Jack following close behind.

"Do you have to go now, Aunt Carol?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," JD said, bending down to Jack's height again. "I gotta get a lot of work done for tomorrow. But I promise that you can play with Eagle next time you visit, okay?"

"Okay!" Jack agreed, beaming. JD reached out and ruffled his hair, making Jack giggle. When JD looked up at Perry he saw an odd emotion in his eyes. It wasn't something that he would usually see on Perry-- it looked almost... affectionate?

_Stop it, _JD told himself, standing up straight. _He's probably just watching Jack. _"I'll see you at work," JD said to Perry. "You're on tomorrow, right?"

"What, so now you know my schedule, Shirely?" Perry asked, grinning.

JD rolled his eyes. "See ya," he said walking past them. "Come on, Eagle-- home."

Eagle barked and trotted off after JD, but not before stopping to let Jack hug him. The boy giggled when the puppy licked his face, and before Eagle followed JD, he paused to regard Perry and then just walked straight past him.

"You're a weird one," JD said to Eagle once he was trotting alongside him. "You'd make a good partner, though, if you were trained enough... I'll have to think about that one!"

**

"Hey, Elliot, have you got anything planned for your birthday yet?"

Elliot looked up at Carla and smiled. "I was just gonna invite you all around to my place, maybe have dinner and some wine."

Carla nodded. "That sounds great. Ooo, how about I bring a movie?"

Elliot smiled. "Perfect! Also, I--" Elliot was cut off by her pager bleeping. "Frick! I hate these interns!" She turned and did her angry-quick walk on the way to the ICU.

Carla was just getting settled to do some paper work when someone she didn't expect to see turned up at the nurses' station. "Doctor Cox, what are you doing here? Don't you have Jack tonight?"

"Jordan came to pick him up and I got paged by Beelzebub," Perry said, obviously not too happy. "Have you seen Satin?"

Carla shrugged. "Check his office."

Perry nodded and stormed off to Kelso's office, where he entered without even knocking. "This better be good, Bobbo, because you just cost me quality time with my son," he growled, standing in front of Kelso's desk, crossed his arms, and glared at the man.

"Save it for the racket-club, champ," Kelso said, unaffected by Perry's words. "I've got something that will hold your attention for a few days. One of the board member's daughters is sick and they're bringing her here for treatment. I want you to give her your undivided attention and ensure that she is brought back to full health, so that the parent will see it fit to reward the hospital."

"Bob," Perry said, lowly, "you are aware that you are sinking so low that eventually you'll be nothing more than a head that slides around on the floor of this hospital?"

"As long as it gets done," Kelso said, still not looking up at him. "Oh, and you'll be working on this case with Doctor Dorian-- I want this girl to get the best of the best."

"Aw, come on, Bob," Perry complained, uncrossing his arms. "It's bad enough you give me this case but to make me _have _to work with Newbie?"

"Perry, I haven't got time for this," Kelso said, standing up. "Just be ready to take care of this girl. She will be arriving tomorrow morning."

Perry growled and stormed out of the office, leaving the door open as he left.

**

"Alright, Eagle, I have to go out tonight." Eagle whined as he watched JD tying the mask around his head. "I can't help it, buddy. I haven't been out since I adopted you, and I need to patrol every now and then. I won't be long, okay, pup?" Eagle whined again, but stepped forward to be stroked by JD. "Watch the house while I'm gone."

JD grinned when Eagle barked, and then he left the house through the back door, running out under the cover of the trees that were in the garden. He ran for about five minutes before coming across the back of a building complex. He climbed up the fire escape which took him up to the roof. JD then proceeded to jump from roof to roof, relishing the feeling of soaring through the air, until he landed on top of a building which was near the busiest part of the city. JD sat down on the roof so that he was looking down on the streets and sighed with satisfaction.

_I love sitting up on the rooftops, _he thought, watching a small crowd of men milling around the streets. _It makes me so giddy... it must be the high altitude. _JD chuckled and settled himself in to focusing on everything going on around him. He could hear the murmuring voices of the men down on the sidewalk and a few streets away, someone was trying and failing to restart their car.

As much as JD would prefer to tune out his super-hearing, he knew that he wouldn't. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if someone was hurt when he could have prevented it. As if to prove this point, JD caught a few of the words passed between the men down in the street.

"...she's the one. Real nice. Weak, so it'll be easy."

"Cash?"

"In the handbag."

"Let's get her."

JD narrowed his eyes and watched as the three men took off running down the street. JD looked up and saw that the street was on the main road to Sacred Heart. JD rolled his eyes. He seemed never to escape the hospital for long. He stood, then, and stalked the men as they headed down the road.

_Another gang assault, _JD guessed, frowning. _I can never understand how some people can be so _cruel.

The men seemed to slow down, and up ahead JD could see a lone woman walking along the sidewalk. JD was right above them at this point, watching the men's every move. The three men were right behind the woman now, and one of them grabbed her, covering her mouth with his hand and dragging her in to an alley. She struggled as best as she could but the three men overpowered her.

"She's pretty," one of them said, running a finger down her face. The woman visibly shuddered. "I want a go first."

_Alright, time's up. _JD leapt off the rooftop, landing behind the men in a crouch. They turned at the sound of the impact and JD straightened up. "Can I help you?" JD asked, his voice easily slipping an octave lower.

The men looked at each, and then one turned and glared at JD. "You have no business here," he said, his hand going to his belt where JD was certain where a knife was.

"That's funny," JD remarked, "it seems to be my business as to whether or not vicious crimes like this happen. And right now, this one isn't going to happen."

The three men tensed. "You can't stop us all."

JD rolled his eyes. "Don't you know who I am?" He took the whip from his belt and unfurled it with a _crack! _The men hesitated before all moving at the same time-- the one holding the woman immediately let her go and he drew a knife from his pocket. The other two mirrored his movements, and the one closest to JD took the first lunge.

JD easily dodged and punched him in the jaw, temporarily knocking him to the floor. As he was blocking the second man's attacks, he said to the woman, "Go! Now!" The woman hastily picked herself up from the ground and ran out of the alley and back to her home. JD made sure she was well out of sight before knocking the second man unconscious. The third man looked at his fallen friends and then up at the Masked Knight. He gave JD a nervous smile. JD grinned in response, and then punched him. The third man fell to the ground unconscious.

JD sighed and relaxed his muscles, unaware that the first man was up on his feet, knife held high. As soon as JD sensed the movement he spun around, just at the same time that the man brought his knife towards JD's body. He couldn't dodge quick enough, and the knife slashed along the upper part of JD's left arm. JD quickly kicked the man in the groin. The man fell to his knees and JD brought his leg up, kneeing the man in the chin and knocking him unconscious.

Then JD felt the pain in his arm. He hissed and took a moment to asses himself. The cut was fairly deep, and it was already bleeding quite a bit. He wasn't far from the hospital, and JD knew that he was going to need stitches and that he couldn't do them himself.

_Oh well, _he thought, exiting the alleyway and running quickly towards the hospital. _I'd better get Turk to see to this._

**

Perry scowled as he left the hospital, still angry that Kelso was pawning some patient off on to him just so that the hospital could get a better spending budget. That man sure was an insensitive, selfish bastard. Perry decided he would say that to Kelso, the next time he sees him.

As he passed an alleyway, Perry heard a strange hissing noise, like someone was in pain. Looking in, he saw a figure crouched on the ground and hunched over. The man had his sleeve rolled all the way up and there was a pretty deep cut running along his upper arm. It was bleeding almost heavily.

"That's going to need stitches," Perry said, casually. He had expected the man to jump in surprise from being spoken to.

He didn't even flinch. "I know," the man said in a low voice, nodding.

Perry sighed and stepped in to the alleyway-- he started in surprise when he realised who he was talking to.

The man crouched in front of him was none other than the Masked Knight. Perry had never seen the man in the flesh before, but it was easy to tell who it was-- the cape and the whip were a bit of a give-away.

"The hospital isn't far from here," Perry said once he got over his initial shock.

The Knight shook his head. "I can't admit myself," he said, standing up from his crouch. "Secret identity and all that-- I wouldn't be able to give them medical details and such."

"You can't just leave it, either," Perry stated, scowling. The Knight opened his mouth but then closed it again. Perry rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said, as if what he was about to do was going to strain him. "I'll patch you up at my place."

"Sir, I really don't--"

"Look," Perry said in a tone that indicated that there was to be no arguing, "if that stays open for much longer it'll probably get infected, and then you won't have an arm to use for flying about the place and rescuing cats from trees."

The Knight sighed. "Fine, but I'm travelling by roof."

Perry rolled his eyes again. "As you wish, Batman."

* * *

**elmo-doodle:** I know it's shorter than the last chapter -_-; but sometimes I feel like I just start rambling when I try to make the chapters longer. Anyway, the plot thickens... Please review! I have cookies and Baileys sitting nearby me for all kind reviewers!


	4. Chapter 4

**elmo-doodle:** hey look-- I haven't left you hanging for too long this time! =] I think I'm getting a little better at updating now, so it shouldn't be long until chapter five is up! There's not much to say about this chapter... it's probably a little vague but the plot will move forwards in the next chapter! I have written chapter fourteen-- it's got suspense and what I think is one of my best cliffhangers! I can't wait for you guys to read it!

**DISCLAIMER:** well duh, of course I don't own it-- that's why it's called FANFICTION.

**Warnings:** Swearing, commecing from the second word! =]

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Oh shit, this does not bode well for me._

JD sighed as he followed Perry's car from the rooftops. Of course he knew where the older man lived but he felt like humouring himself. He had had to catch himself back in the alleyway before he said the wrong things. He was going to say that he knew that he needed stitches since he was a doctor. He managed to stop himself before that last part came out.

JD winced as the pain in his arm become even more prominent. He had intended to contact Turk who was working late and ask him to stitch him up. It would have been risky for him to go to the hospital, but he knew how he could get in without being seen. However, there was always the chance that Turk was busy and caught up in surgery. So really, Perry was his best chance since he couldn't stitch it himself.

JD watched as Perry parked his car outside of the apartment block. He scanned the windows of the apartments, and smiled when he spotted Perry's bedroom window-- there was a balcony on it. JD jumped off the last roof and nimbly landed on the balcony rails like a cat. Opening the lock was no problem for him, and within moments he was stepping in to the older doctor's bedroom.

Ignoring his happiness at being in said room, JD moved out to the sitting room where the front door was. He could hear Perry on the other side of it, trying to locate his keys. JD went over to the door and opened it from the inside.

He was greeted with a "GAH!" from Perry, as the door suddenly swung open to reveal the Knight.

"How did you know which apartment was mine?" Perry asked, scowling and moving past JD and in to his home.

JD shrugged. "It was the only one without lights on." He closed the door and turned around to watch Perry.

"Sit on the couch," Perry said, gesturing to the seat. "I need to go get the first aid kit."

"Of course, thank you," JD said politely. _Gonna have to keep on my toes if I don't want him to realise it's me. _He sighed and sat back, waiting for Perry to return.

**

_Jordan would be blind with jealousy if she knew who was in my apartment right now, _Perry thought to himself with an amused chuckle. He opened the bathroom cabinet and began rummaging around for the well-stocked First Aid Kit that he kept in there. _I almost can't believe who is in my apartment now. _He located the medical supplies and shut the cabinet door then made his way in to the lounge, where the Masked Knight was sitting on the couch, inspecting the wound on his left arm.

"I can't comprehend how I managed to get injured," the Knight said, sighing and looking at the cut with confusion. "It rarely happens, but that guy got me good."

"I'll say," Perry commented, sitting on the couch and taking the Knight's arm with his hands. "Any deeper and he would have hit a main artery." The Knight gave him a look which stated that he knew that fact, and wasn't too happy with it. "Okay, I'll just clean this for you and stitch it up."

Perry opened the kit and began taking out the supplies. He picked up the antiseptic wipes and ripped a few packets open. "This'll sting," he said before placing the wipe over the wound, and he was surprised when the Knight didn't even flinch. He cleaned the wound in silence, very aware of the Knight's eyes watching his every move. Perry discarded the soiled wipes on the table and began preparing the surgical needle. "So, what were you preventing tonight?"

The Knight continued to watch him. "Attempted gang-rape on a woman," he answered. "Three men. I thought I had knocked the first one unconscious, but he got up and took a swipe at me with a knife. I sensed him move just before he lunged and I moved out of the way but he still got me. Obviously."

"Obviously," Perry agreed. "You sure do put your life in danger a lot."

The Knight grinned. "It's how I live," he replied. "I have these talents. Why should I keep them to myself when I can help others with them?"

Perry raised an eyebrow as he began to stitch the wound up. "What talents?"

The Knight smirked and looked over a glass of water sitting on the far side of the coffee table. Perry paused in sealing the wound and watched as the Knight lifted up his right arm and held his hand out towards the glass, his fingers curling slightly.

Suddenly, the water shot upwards out of the glass and towards the Knight's palm. The water turned in to sphere and levitated just above his gloved hand, defying the laws of gravity as the Knight used his mind to change it's shape in to a cube, a pyramid, Perry's face...

"Shit," Perry murmured, staring at the liquid reflection of his face. "I'll admit that's one heck of a talent."

The Knight grinned and soon the water was making its way back in to the glass. "Elemental control," he said as Perry continued to stitch up his arm. "Wind is the easiest to control because it's always there. Water is pretty easy too, but I need to draw it from sources around me. I've never had a need to control the earth, except for maybe extracting water from it, and fire is the hardest to control. It's too destructive and unpredictable. It's extremely hard to draw water when there's fire, and it won't hold it off for long."

"You use these talents much?" Perry asked as he finished the stitches.

The Knight shrugged slightly. "Just when I need to." He watched as Perry began to clear up the mess of wipes and empty packets on the table. "I can't thank you enough, sir," he said gratefully. "If there's anything I can do to repay you...?"

"You don't need to do anything," Perry replied gruffly. "Just..." He straightened up to look at the Knight. "Just keep doing what you do. Saving people's lives. Protecting the city. People are grateful for it."

The Knight nodded. "I will," he said. He stood up and flexed his arm, wincing a little. "That's going to be stiff for a while," he grumbled. "Oh well, all in the name of justice. Thank you again, sir." Perry waved his thanks off. "Okay then. I shall leave through the bedroom window."

Perry frowned. "Why on earth would you do that?"

The Knight grinned. "It's more fun that way," he said, before swinging his cape round and running out of the room. Perry blinked at how fast the other man moved before following him in to the bedroom, where the Knight had already exited and window left often open. He went to it and arrived just in time to see the Knight wave at him once before jumping off the balcony rails with the agility of a cat. Perry gaped as he watched the Knight practically _swoop _through the sky, his cape billowing out behind him. As the Knight neared the ground he caught the top of a lamppost with his hands and swung under it once before landing nimbly on the top of the bar. With another leap he was on top of a building and disappearing in to the night.

Perry stood dazed for a moment before he shook his head and closed the window. _Suicidal hero, _he thought.

**

JD slid open his bedroom window and climbed inside on to the bed, shutting it behind him. Eagle barked in joy at having his master back home and tried to jump up on the mattress. JD chuckled and reached down to lift Eagle up. He set the puppy on the bed as he began to take of his cape, mask and gloves.

"That was a weird night," JD told the dog, who looked up at him with intelligent eyes. "Stabbed by a guy, found in an alleyway by Doctor Cox, went to his house and got patched up by him." Eagle whined and nudged the hand of his injured arm. JD smiled and petted his head affectionately. "It's okay, I'm fine now." His eyes caught sight of the clock on his bedside table and he grimaced. "I didn't realise it had gotten so late-- I've got a shift in six hours." He got off the bed and stretched. "I'm going to get a shower now. You watch the house, pup."

Eagle barked in affirmative.

**

"You alright, Bambi?" Carla asked JD, looking worriedly at him. "You look tired."

JD shrugged, ignoring the pain in his left arm. "I didn't sleep much last night," he said. He frowned at the chart he was holding. "Whoa, this is a new patient."

Carla nodded. "Doctor Kelso assigned her to you and Doctor Cox last night. She the daughter of a board member and he wants you to have your full attention on her."

JD sighed. "Trying to get more money out of the board?"

"Of course."

"Right," JD shook his head in exasperation. "I should go introduce myself to her. See ya later."

Carla waved him off and JD headed over towards the private patients rooms where the girl was located. According to his chart she was only four years old and had been admitted due to fatigue, headaches and loss of appetite. Ready to tackle this case head-on, JD entered the little girl's room to see her sitting up on the bed and playing with a teddy bear.

"Knock knock," JD said, announcing his arrival. The girl looked up at him with big brown eyes and smiled brightly.

"Hello!" she greeted. "Are you my doctor?"

"Yep," JD said, moving further in to the room. "I'm Doctor Dorian, but you can call me JD. What's your name?"

"I'm Kayla," she said, then she held up her teddy. "This is Branwell. He wants to say hello too!" She held out the teddy's paw, and JD shook it with his hand, sitting on the edge of the bed as he did so.

"It's nice to meet you, Branwell," he said, and Kayla giggled, her brown hair swaying slightly. "So, Kayla, do you know why you're in here?"

Kayla nodded. "Mamma said I'm sick," she said, tilting her head to the side. "Will you make me better?"

JD smiled gently. "I'm going to do all that I can," he told her, wanting nothing more than to assure this sweet little girl that she was going to be fine, but he couldn't-- not when he didn't know that for sure himself. Ignoring, the pang of unease he felt in his heart, he smiled brightly at her. "Have you met Doctor Cox yet? He's the other doctor who is going to be looking after you."

Kayla nodded. "He was in here earlier," she said, and then she held up her teddy in front of her again. "He shook Branwell's hand, too!"

JD let a sly smile grace his face for a moment. "He did, yeah?" _Who would have thought? _"Well, I'm sure he'll be back in again to see you later. First though, I'm gonna need to take some blood samples from you so that we can do some tests and see what's making you sick. Is that okay?"

Kayla looked a little nervous and clutched her teddy closer to her chest but nodded anyway. "Okay."

"I'll be back in a minute," JD said, giving her one last encouraging smile before he stood up and left her room. He made his way back to the nurses' station and called on Carla there.

"Can you come help me get some blood samples from Kayla? I think she'll relax more if you're there," JD asked her.

Carla beamed in response. "Sure thing, Bambi. I'll get the supplies now."

**

_Eighteen-year-old JD sat on the floor of the small room that he and his new friend Christopher Turk shared at Medical College. They had been living there for two months now, and JD considered himself very lucky to even be there. Getting the grades for Medical school hadn't been a problem since he had always been studious and strived hard to attain his goals. No, it had been convincing his mother to let him leave home that had been the hardest. She was convinced that he was going to lose control over his "special powers" and cause destruction. Unintentionally of course, she had said._

_What she didn't know was that for the past ten years JD had been teaching, training himself to control his gifts. His mother had never been able to find the help that was needed for him, so she had instead begged him not to use them, to keep them locked away inside of him for his own safety._

_As JD had gotten older he become more curious about his talents and would carefully practise with them whenever his mom wasn't at home. It took some time, but eventually he was able to control water and wind to bend to his every command. Practising to control the earth had proven harder, not because he wasn't trying but because he needed to be outside and be in contact with the earth for it to work. Doing that in the front garden wouldn't not have been a good idea-- they had very nosy neighbours._

_He hadn't even bothered trying to control fire while he was at home. His mother would have known for sure then that he hadn't been neglecting if she came home and found his bedroom burnt to a crisp. No, he waited until he had left home for college before he tried to control it._

_The roommate that he had been paired up with was pretty cool, in JD's opinion. Training to be a surgeon and one heck of a basketball player, Turk was pretty much the opposite of the geeky John Dorian. But, they got on with each other like a house on fire. Even though it had only been two months since they met, JD thought of Turk as a great friend and he felt that he knew so much about him. And Turk probably knew everything about JD too._

_Well, _almost _everything._

_Every Monday and Thursday night when Turk went out to play basketball, JD would sit on the floor of their shared bedroom and do his best to control the most dangerous of the elements. He kept a basin of water beside him in case he needed to draw from it if an accident happened. It wouldn't do to have Turk return and find the carpet singed beyond recognition._

_JD sat with his eyes closed, his concentration at its highest as he focused on drawing the fire towards him, but at the same time making sure not to summon too much. He held his hands up, palms facing the ceiling as the collective flaming energy gathered in the space between his hands and fused together to make a fiery ball. It wasn't that big since JD hadn't wanted to summon too much, but he had been getting better and controlling larger amounts of fire the more he practised. It was going to take some time, since he could on do that twice a week._

_It was on a Thursday night when Turk walked in on JD. Basketball had ended early due to one the team members getting injured so JD hadn't been expecting him at that time. He had been so wrapped up in shaping the ball of fire in his hands that he hadn't even sense Turk approaching the flat and entering the bedroom. It still wasn't until Turk's exclamation of "What the hell?!" that JD noticed he had company. He involuntarily jumped in shock, which involuntarily sent the ball of fire shooting towards the curtains as his concentration broke._

"_Dammit!" he swore, as Turk started to shout, "Fire! The curtain's are on fire! Dude!"_

_JD was quick to react: he drew the water from the basin beside him and sent it towards the curtain, drenching them. The fire died out with a disappointed hiss, and vanished to reveal sodden and scorched curtains. JD and Turk stared at the curtains in silence until Turk turned his head towards JD._

"_Dude... what on earth was that?!"_

_JD winced slightly. There was no way he was going to be able to make up a cover story for this... He sighed and gestured for Turk to sit down. This was going to be a long story..._

**

"Alright Kayla, this is Nurse Carla-- she's going to help me with taking some blood, okay?"

Kayla nodded, still showing signs of nervousness but she smiled at Carla. "Hello," she greeted.

"Hello, sweetheart," Carla replied, smiling kindly. "Don't you worry about a thing, okay? You're barely going to feel it."

"Okay, needle please, Carla?" JD asked, after he had put the latex gloves on. He took the needle when Carla handed it to him and then added in a low voice so Kayla couldn't hear: "Could you sit on the other side and talk to her? Just so she doesn't look round?" Carla nodded and went over to the bed, effectively making Kayla turn away from the needle.

"So Kayla, how old are you?" Carla asked while JD tried to find a suitable vein on the girl's arm.

"I'm four," Kayla said. She was doing a good job so far off ignoring what was happened to her arm.

"Whoa, that's a big number," Carla said gently. "Do you go to school?"

"Mommy took me to playgroup every day before I got sick."

JD frowned in concentration as he found the vein and tried to get the tip of the needle to pierce the child's skin as gently as possible. Kayla tensed up a little as the needle broke the surface but she relaxed as Carla kept talking to her. JD drew the blood as quickly as he could and then removed the needle to deposit the blood in one of the tubes before going back to take one more sample. It only took another minute before he was finished. "There we go, Kayla. All done!"

Kayla looked round at JD in surprise and then her eyes moved down to the smiley-face plaster on her arm. "That was it?" she asked, shocked.

"Yep," JD grinned. "You're a very brave girl. I think that deserves some ice cream. What do you think Nurse Carla?"

"Definately," Carla agreed. Kayla smiled proudly as JD bagged the blood samples and filled out the paperwork that radiology needed. "I'll go get that arranged now."

JD nodded. "Alright, Kayla, I'll be back in to see you later, okay? I've got to go see some other patients buy I'll drop in on you again."

"Yes, Doctor!" Kayla said, smiling brightly and hugging her teddy closely. Her brown eyes shone with happiness despite the fact that she was in hospital because she was very sick. JD was amazed at her strength as he waved goodbye to her. He took the blood samples down to radiology and after being told to come back for them in five hours he started to make his way down to the cafeteria. However, he changed direction after he sensed the Janitor hiding around the corner at the bottom of the corridor. Oh well, he could get some coffee later. Might as well get his other duties done sooner than later.

**

JD spent the rest of his shift alternating between talking to his patients, hanging out at the nurses' station and checking to make sure the stitches in his arm were still intact. His arm didn't hurt anymore which was good, since he would need full usage of it if he wanted to do both of his jobs properly.

JD smiled as he thought about Perry stitching him up the night before without even knowing that it was him. Oh, how he would love to tell Perry exactly who was in his apartment last night, if just to see the look on his face. He was still smiling as he went to collect Kayla's blood test results from radiology as his shift was nearing its end. Hopefully these results would give him the answers he needed to start treating her.

The manila envelope was sitting in the little plastic pocket beside the door of the radiology lab. JD picked it up and flipped it open, scanning down the results. The smile slipped off his face as the results filled him with dread and sadness. He closed his eyes.

_Damn.

* * *

_**elmo-doodle:** Okay? =] I probably ended it a little too suddenly! And sorry about the randomly placed flashback, heh ^_^; Actually, all the flashbacks that I've got in the chapters weren't in the planning-- I just sort of decided that they should be put in once I was finished writing the chapters. Oh, and Kayla's teddy bear is named after my teddy, Branwell! Who I have taken with me to university =] Review please! I don't have any Bailey's or cider or cookies to offer this time... erm, I have some salmon? Soup? Coke cola? Waffles!! Bread! One yoghurt... hm, I really need to do some shopping, lol.


	5. Chapter 5

_**elmo-doodle:**_ Oh dear; can anyone say "filler chapter"? I apologize for this one-- I had expected it to be longer, and it should probably have been included in chapter four. I'll get chapter six written and posted up ASAP to make up for my rubbishness here!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Although he would never admit it, Perry was still thinking about his run-in with the Masked Knight from the night before. Certainly, the last thing he had been expecting was to see the local hero crouched over in an alleyway and he had expected even less to be patching that hero up in his own sitting room. The older doctor had never paid much thought to the mysterious man before, but now that he had met him and talked to him, hundreds of questions began to race through his mind: who was this hero, really? How old was he? He sounded young, so how young was he? What other special _abilities_ does he have? How did he get them? Was he trained to be this experienced? Were there more people like him around the world? Yes, Perry was curious about this Masked Knight.

"Doctor Cox!"

Perry blinked and spun around to face Carla, who was giving him a perplexed look. "What?" he asked her.

Carla looked a little mystified as she answered, "I called you three times and you didn't hear me." She instantly looked worried. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"Carla, relax-- I'm fine. I was just thinking," he said. "I've got a lot on my mind."

She nodded, although still had a little bit of concern etched in to her features. "Okay, then. Your new patient, the one that Doctor Kelso assigned to you last night, arrived not too long ago. JD's shift doesn't start for a few hours so you'll have to go in first and talk to her. She's only four, so don't be mean," she added teasingly and held out the chart.

Perry frowned lightly at her. "'Don't be mean'?" he repeated as he took the chart. "Seriously, Carla, I'm a doctor. I know how to treat my patients."

Carla raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh," she didn't sound convinced. "Just go, I have work to do."

Perry growled slightly, but there was little force behind it and Carla knew it. He took a quick glance at the chart in his hand before heading off to the room the girl, (Kayla, the chart stated) was in. She had been placed in one of the private rooms and Perry knew without a doubt that her parents were paying Kelso hundreds of dollars just for that. Greedy, money-grabbing bastard that he was.

Perry knocked on the door and entered, to see Kayla sitting up on the bed playing with a teddy bear. The little girl looked up at his entrance and smiled widely at him. "Hello!" she said, brightly. "Are you my doctor?"

He nodded and moved further in to the room. "Yeah, I am. I'm Doctor Cox."

"I'm Kayla. I'm four years old!" she said proudly, holding up the appropriate number of digits on her left hand. "And this is Branwell." She picked up the teddy bear and held if facing Perry. She lifted his paw and waved it in the air. "He wants to say 'hello', too!" Kayla looked at him hopefully. Perry hesitated but also didn't want to upset her, so after taking a quick glance around to make sure nobody was watching, he reached out and briefly shook the teddy bear's paw, and quickly took a step back. Kayla was pleased, if her big grin was anything to go by.

_Gods, _Perry thought, swallowing down his embarrassment, _this is more Newbie's area, not mine._ "So, how are you feeling today?" he asked, settling in to a pattern familiar to him.

"...hungry."

Perry smirked. "Okay, but anything else? Tired? Weak?"

"Oh," Kayla giggled. "I've been sleepy since I got here, but mummy said that I've been sleepy all the time lately." She frowned suddenly. "Is that bad?"

Perry was surprised at her quick change in demeanour. "I'm not sure, Kayla," he said truthfully. "We'll get some tests done on you later but first I think we should get you something to eat, whaddya say?"

She beamed. "Okay!" she replied.

Perry felt slightly better at seeing her smile again as he nodded and left the room. He headed back to the nurses' station and handed the chart over to one of the women working there. "Could someone get this girl something to eat?" he said. When he got an affirmative, Perry walked away to see to his other patients.

* *

(**A/N: **This next little section takes place BEFORE JD got Kayla's lab results. Sorry for the confusion!)

JD and Turk were taking their break in the doctor's lounge. They were each spread out on one of the couches, not really watching the TV that was playing some random soap. JD had just finished telling Turk about what had happened to him the previous night.

"Damn," Turk muttered, raising his eyebrows. "It's not often that someone gets one up on you. And then Cox crept up on you?"

JD frowned. That was something that had been bothering since he had gotten home last night. For some unknown reason, JD couldn't sense Percival Cox. He wasn't too shocked to hear somebody walking towards the alley but he was surprised when he realised that it was Perry, someone who he saw almost every day and should be able to sense pretty well. It was easy to sense Turk, Carla and Elliot clearly because he was so close to them, and even Kelso and the Janitor appeared on his radar.

The fact that Perry was a blind spot was a mystery to him.

He shook his head. "I just don't understand why I couldn't sense him." JD sighed. "And I can't believe I didn't notice it before now. Weird, huh?"

Turk nodded. "You'd think that you would pick up on him the most. Especially with you being in love with him and all."

"Uncool," JD said, pouting. Turk grinned at him and JD smiled back. "Damn you and your ability to sense these things."

"That's right," Turk said, getting off the couch. "You can sense when someone's approaching you, and I can sense people's emotions."

"Like Jasper from _Twilight_."

Turk pointed at him. "_That_ was uncool." He looked at his watch. "Break's over, I gotta get back to surgery."

"Yeah, I need to pick up Kayla's lab results," JD said as he stood up too. He stretched and winced a bit as the stitches in his arm pulled slightly. "You'll take the stitches out for me in a few days, right?"

"Sure thing, man," Turk agreed. "Gotta go. I'll catch you later."

"Okay," JD said. Turk left the room and went right while JD went straight on to head to the radiology department.

**

Perry's day had gone by slowly. He tried to tell himself that it _wasn't_ because JD wasn't hanging around him all the time, but eventually he had to admit that having the kid beside him made his shift go faster. His patients were fine, there was nothing to do at the nurses' station, the cafeteria was boring and for some reason he couldn't see JD anywhere.

So when Perry found himself at a complete loss of what he could do, he went back to visit Kayla.

The little girl was sitting up in her bed with Branwell placed between her crossed legs and a book laid in front of her.

"Hey there," he said. Kayla looked up and beamed at him. "How's it going?"

"I'm teaching Branwell how to read," Kayla announced. "Oh! JD came in with a nurse and they took some of my blood. I didn't cry at all!"

Perry allowed a small smile to slip on to his face. "That's good," he said. "Doctor Dor-- I mean... JD hasn't been back in, has he?"

Kayla shook her head. "No," she replied. "He said that he'd be back when the other Doctors have done tests on my blood." She frowned. "How do they do that?"

"Well..."

"Doctor Cox, could I see you outside for second?"

Perry was saved from answering a potentially difficult question by the arrival of JD. There was something wrong though; the kid's eyes were serious and devoid of all humour or happiness that was usually always there. Perry nodded.

"We'll be right back," he said to Kayla. She waved to them and went back to 'teaching' her teddy bear as they were leaving.

"What is it there, Newbie?" Perry asked, turning to face the younger man after the door had been closed.

"It's Kayla's lab results," JD said, holding the folder out to Perry.

He took the folder but didn't look at it, instead keeping his eyes trained on JD. "It's bad?" he asked.

JD nodded and then took a deep breath. "She... she has severe combined immunodeficiency."

Perry hurriedly opened up the folder, his eyes scanning down the list of results and finally reading the analysis at the bottom for himself. He snapped the folder shut and looked at Kayla through the window. "_Shit_," he muttered.

* * *

_**elmo-doodle: **_This may also be the shortest chapter that I've written . Review-- or not. Even I'm not happy with this chapter, heh!


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